Zed Head

That is much better. Now I feel like there's a starting point, with the list of places to get a license. I got 404 errors on all of the club links though. I'm just one guy. Who complains a lot. So you might wait for a few more opinions. I meant "no offense" about the "just" part. Good luck.

On the home page you talk about "our team" and "our cars" and then say that vintage racing is a hobby that allows people to "hop in the driver's seat". At the bottom of the page, it says that you have to get a license from one of many organizations, but when I click Learn More there's nothing there about the other organizations. "Get your license Vintage racing organizations offer their own racing schools and accept licenses from other schools across the country." It looks like, no offense, you're just a race-prep, transport, and restoration shop for old cars. I assume that you store them also? There's a local guy around here who does that for Porsche owners. He has a shop full of Porsches and he gets them ready and transports them to the tracks, around the country, so the owners can drive them. Is that what you guys do? I think that the "Vintage Racing" branding is a little confusing. I'm not sure it's really a "thing". Seriously, are you guys trying to create a brand? Okay, I just did a Google and it looks like it started as a regional thing, in the Southeast. https://svra.com/about-us/ Looks like a small regional club thing that you're trying to make bigger. Good luck. I guess my point is that there are probably a lot of people who have no idea what it is or where it came from.

rturbo suggested that there weren't enough 240Z's left to be cutting a good one up. Original and complete. He's just thinking about somebody butchering a 240Z. But, still, the OP hasn't really said much about his plans. He just wants a cool car that he can drive while he works on it, apparently. But he probably wants it to look nice while he's doing that, so buying a ratty car might not be an option. Best advice might be to work out a plan on paper, with cost estimates for the various mods. If he's going for power, maybe he should get a 280Z, with the stronger body, and R200 already installed. With a vision of what the final product should be like, then he can go shopping. So, the question of value seems answered. It's worth the price. But the question of appropriateness for his plans is open.

The web site looks well done. Smooth and polished. But I couldn't really figure out what the product is. Am I joining a team, or renting a race car? Or is it a race prep service for my own race car? There's a link to SVRA but it's not clear what that is until you read the logo on the linked page. It seems to be set up for people who already know what "vintage racing" is. I had never heard of vintage racing as a thing until you showed up. Actually, it seems to be something that you guys have created on your own, if I read things right. Just saying, it all seems kind of fuzzy. Maybe give an example on the site of how a neophyte would get involved. Edit - forgot to say also that you should put a link to the site in your post. http://michaelsvintageracing.com/about/ " What is vintage racing? Vintage racing is an exciting and challenging way to hop in the driver's seat of your dream car and race at tracks all over the country and the world! Drivers get to race the vintage car of their choice against other enthusiasts! The atmosphere is laid-back and friendly, so you're sure to meet some new friends!

People do realize that they're telling the OP to spend more of his money in the long run so that they can feel good about "saving" a 240Z, right?

Oil pressure in these engines always runs on the low side at low RPM. And the oil pressure senders are known to be inaccurate. You can't really decide on what to do about it until you get an accurate a gauge and record real numbers. Oil pressure won't affect driveability until right before the engine seizes up.

Nobody asked the #1 most basic question - what do you plan to do with it?

You could re-mark your dipstick, or get an F54 block stick. The dip stick is designed to indicate where the oil level is in relation to the crankshaft and oil pickup, which are tied to the block. You could install a 50 gallon oil pan, but the dip stick would not need to be changed. You err'ed when you switched dip sticks. Not a huge error though. The difference between the two is 3/8", which is still within the range of the H-L limits on either stick. So if you keep it topped up, you won't run low. If you let it get down to L though, it would be below the L on the proper F54 stick. Edit - the good news though, is that you were right to ask the question. There's something wrong.

Another one of those things that is not as clear as people profess it to be. Endless discussions...

For what it's worth, my drain plug really didn't flow back in to the coolant passages well either. I don't think the connection to the main passages is very big. I used compressed air and it was prettty well plugged. But the block itself flowed fine. Still though, the path from T-stat hole to pump should be clear, and the pump is not a positive displacement, you could call it an inertia pump, it just creates a pressure differential by pushing coolant. Like a turbo. If you do remove the pump, then the passage from T-stat hole to block inlet/pump outlet will be even more clear. You could put your ear on one and hear somebody talking at the other end. If the holes at the top of the block were clear, and the head gasket is right, it really seems like there must be something in that pump outlet area. Found a picture of coolant draining, and a video. I think he's a member. Koenig sounds familiar. Good luck.

It's funny that ZDDP is generally recommended for "high pressure" cams and lobes but sulphur compounds, extreme pressure additives, are used for differential gears. My understanding, from past reading, is that it's not the zinc that kills the catalysts, but the phosphate. So, a sharp marketing group in an oil company could ask for a different form of zinc so that they could say their oil has "high zinc content". Might even offer the same benefits. Whatever those are. Fun topic...

I use plain old modern oil and haven't rounded a cam lobe yet. Break-in seems to be where the problems happen. Fresh metal.

Here's something interesting. An F54 block dip stick is 6 7/8" inches from the High mark to the rubber seat. An N42 block dip stick is 7 1/4". So if you had a 280Z dip stick in an F54 block you'd be low on oil, because the High mark would be lower. Probably a lot more than a fraction of a quart though. Looking at the dip sticks does make me question their accuracy though. It's just a rubber seat on a piece of metal.

Why do all that when a hose in the T-stat hole will tell the story? There should be nothing between the T-stat hole and the pump inlet that will stop coolant flow. Here's another experiment. Remove the block drain plug, start the engine and see what happens. If coolant blows out of the drain plug hole you'll know more. Could be that somebody filled your block for racing.

Probably should have dug deeper when you had it apart. There's not much to the system. The pump moves water through the block, it pushes up past the cylinders, through the head gasket in to the head, then it flows out of the head at the thermostat housing. Somebody recently left a cork in the lower radiator hose port. Had a similar problem to yours. Forgot about the cork and put everything together. If you're really stuck, check each system separately. Remove the lower radiator hose and be sure that coolant actually will come out of the radiator. Remove the thermostat housing and be sure coolant will be pushed through and come out of the block and head. You could even remove the bottom hose and the thermostat cover and everything should drain out of the head and block. Stick a hose in the T-stat hole and see if water flows backward, down to the lower hose. Redefine the problem as a coolant flow problem. Your coolant is not moving through the block and head. Why? Where is the blockage? Check for rags like JSM suggested.

Take the thermostat cover off and remove the thermostat. Start the engine and see what happens. If you get no flow you'll know the problem is between the pump and the T-stat housing. Or just remove the thermostat and do the same.

It is weird that Nissan doesn't seem to have created a wiring schematic for the cabin heating system.

You can see coolant flow in the radiator with the cap off. Might lose some coolant but it will be informative.

The dilemma is if you do fix the problem you might not know it because you've created another known overheating situation.

Search these words and you might find something. Might not be the source of your problem but the results will be worth reading, long-term.

The 280Z's are spec'ed at 5 quarts. The OP has a 280ZX engine. Then there's always slope of the driveway, both when draining and checking the dip stick. Oil expansion too. If you add it cold, then measure it hot it will show more than what you put in. Oil expands a lot. Like when you pop the fill plug on a warm transmission. https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/cubical-expansion-coefficients-d_1262.html http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/nbstechnologic/nbstechnologicpaperT77.pdf

Are you afraid that someone is going to buy it before you do? Just pictures and some videos. Where's the words? The description of what it is, with a VIN? The passenger door looks tweaked. Closed at the top, gapped at the bottom. Edit - and why do people think they know how to produce music videos? Weird. Bad music...

It's the oil pan that determines capacity. Assuming the oil pan matches the block and head, you just need to use the right book. And maybe the right filter. Are you using one of those new mini filters? The dip stick is the indicator for proper level for the bearings, without aeration. I'd be happy with that.

I would test continuity from the "no idea" wires to the pins on the other ends of the harness. It's all right there in front of you in the big red picture, not hidden inside the dash. They probably go to the blower or the switch and that will tell something.

You'll only have power on both sides of the injector connectors if the other injectors are still connected when you measure one. If you disconnect them all and check for power you'll only see it on one pin. When the other injectors are plugged in power comes back through the ground point at the ECU through the wire to the other pin in the connector that you're measuring. It makes more sense if you draw it out. It's a parallel circuit. If you want to simplify things, disconnect all of the injectors and check for power at one pin on each injector plug. Then plug them all back in and check for power at the ECU connector, for each injector. You can remove all of the odd readings and parallel circuit back-feeding that way. Then you'l know.